Aeroplane.



B. R. ALEXANDER.

`ABROPLANE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 12,1910.

1,002,111, l `mpndAug.,29,`1911,

A Trama/5 5 ,xvi y BERT R. ALEXANDER, or vnasa;sizmigtlsin nizw YORK..

AEROPLANE.

1500211111, l specification of Leiterin-tent. Patentd Aug 29, 1911,

Application filed `July 12, 1910A Serial No. 571,575.

Tapi-Z, iiihom 'LL may concern.' theother, and subst-ahtialiy midway between ,itliiion'ii .that I, Bi-:a'r lt. Ailnximnnit, theirends to the upright franief--1-. Y df.. l"las t Syracuse, in t-he county of Onon-. 'L lie V:tranne -w1 preferably'consists -of dagzwin the State ot VNew .Yorin have nupright parallel bar's -6'- and suitable e0 @rarita ew land useful Improvements in cross bars -7-- `and -8# connecting the lan ',.fof .n'hichthe following, taken upright. bars and holdingl themV at a fixed rnrriection with the accoinpanying drawdistance apart, said upright bars `'being 'of inge: isafnll., clear, and exact description. greater vlength than the distance 'from the This 4invention relates to certain iinpiove-y lower to the upper plane, so that when the 65 mgiiiient in dirighle air-s liiljis o1. the aeroplane planes are assembled in 'operative position nvplriiig theiise of a plnralityof, in thereon, the upper ends of bars --6- extend i lstan'cei'our,supporting planes hinged sonic distance above the upper plane, While leil' lront edges.,.oi ic above theothei, in the `lower ends extend Sonie distance below piaga,I isiiilo a suitable upright supporting?i thelon1ei plane,and are rigidly connected 70 i@ fiqai'nef upon which is also inouniedrthe pioto a working platform -9- carrying suit peiling and steering mechanisms.- l l able supportipg Wheels l0-4 for Support' The main object is to control the vertical ing the machine on the ground when at rest angle .of fligl'it and equilibrium of the niaor duringr initial flight. This platform is ai Wholly by, the iiiaiiipiil'ation Vof the disposed in a, horizontal position a sufficient 75 ngi'ilanes in'tlieii-cntii-ety, through distance below the lower plane to permit iediiiiijif of operatingiiiechanisrn and free vmovement ofthel operator when seated onsii'nder the control of the opera thereonwn Suitable scat #111-, said platliyysaid planes' may be'tilted siforni also serving;r as aconvenientsupport 'Y l 4 l for a iiiotor, as l2-e, and other appurte- 80 ien the .machine is in iiightthe impact 'naiices whichn'iay be'necessai'y ih theoperagai'nstthe eiirface'of thelplanes ation of the motor and other parte of .the (R position them in pai'allelisni with machine: The inotor 1Q-"is preferably "pla'ii'e' of Iflight, but unless properly sup? loeated in frontl of the upright' supporting ported 'hen at rest `would gravitate to a vertraine L while the seat is located Sonie 85 Q9, tiegtlf distance to 'the rear thereof but Within easy itio'n.` w irtlier .objc-ct, therefore, is to provide reachingdistance from the controllingmech- Stiel ingmli'n'eaiis for noi'inally holding .the anisnitnot shown) for the engine. a' s'litantially horizontal position, .The engine and lscat are positioned iii such jectsi and usesrelatingto.specific relation'.t1iat the weight of 'the vengii'icj and 90` 5, the" ii'iacliiiiewilfl. be brought out inv occupantwill bring the centerof grai'ity of tllief ilowiii description. the entire niac'hine directlyV under the longit b. draitings: Figure tis a perspective ytndinaljfvcenter` ofv the supporting planes or f w'jiiw (if it four-plane machine 'embodying approxiimitehv between `the scat* and hase of kij, :itiiies of my invention'.v Figa 2 .the upright trarne 1-#, so that aslight 95.-

-idefelevation of the saine machine; Fig. ioiwi'ardv or backward nioveiiient of 'the om hlt-lett l ciipaiit iiiay change the center ot gravity Esectionalfvieii of the hand operlng drums .tor the .steering and The transverse width 4.ot the platform ciitinctftir'ig tlie'plane to one of the upright less than the length of the shorter' planes, the iront ril and adjacent lli'ortion so as to leave hy Afar the greater po'rtiion .ot

oi qltf'tiie iila'iieslieiiigshoivn i-ii'section.` allof the planes, and particularly the eiildsi, li`i, ;`i;i`,sfa alt-tinorennta:portion of- .tli'ereof-'freeto `eut-and rideliipon the Jair:

" 1o'ne di the vplanes showing with a ininininni"dear-nooit i'fesistancefarid at 19:5

` this instance four, supporting planes -2-, platform 9--V are secured together at'their 11.0. 55 -'3'- #4Q-- and -5 which are hinged iat junctions, one-With the -ot-her, by su'itable: their front edges ini parallelism, one above couplings +1345 but Vare additionally lgield` in fixed relation by .front and rearstay wires -f-lft-and ..-15.--,v .the stays 14- running from the front ends of .the side bars of the platform -9 upwardly over suitable truss rods -16' to the upright bars w-1, and are secured to the upper ends of` stantially the same width 'from front to rear, l

although the intermediate planes '-3- and @4f which are of substantially'the saine length vare somewhat longer than the lower and upper planes, the, relative lenofths beof the. cable -20, connecting them to the ing proportioned so as. to more eectively maintain the equilibrium or balance of the machine in Hight. These planes may be of any suitable light Vskeleton struct-ure having the usualunclencovering of rubberized silk or equivalent. material, the front bar ofl each plane being preferably eircular'in cross section, as shown inFig. 45,' and Journaled -in suitable bearings -17-v on the upright frame-.bars --6-`. Each plane is therefore adapted vto tilt or swing vertically and in order that they maybe-operated simultaneously their 'rear edges are" connected by one or more cables -2 O-, havingvv their `upper ends extended over the top plane --5- and connected. by springs -21- vto the upper end ofthe upright frame bars f The lower ends of the cable 920% are preferably merged into a single cable and passed around suitable idlers on the plat- Orn'rand then wound upon a hand operated. ydrum -22 having a hand wheel -j-- .in proximity to the seat l1- '.lhesprings -2].-.- and adjacent port-ions rear edge of the upper plane constitute meansfor normally holding the planes ih their elevated -orhorizontal position ready for flight, and although I have described ythese springs as connected to thefupper .ends of the cables 20-, -it is evident that any other yielding Vmeans may be -exnliloyed for aecoini'ilishing the same resldt.

A.. vertical, steering.. rudder ---25 pivoie'd near its front `edge .to the rear ends of suitable supporting arinsfor brackets will exieiuling `Yforwardly beneath and above the -i'ntein'iediate-vplanes l-- and .resiiectively, aud having their front. ends rigidly. secured to the uprigl'lt) frame lioned so as. not 4ato .irrterlere with the. free tiltingmovementof the planes;

as provided with a tiller 27 to which which are carried forwardly andpassed over coaxial with the drum -23- an provided with a hand Wheel 31-` in closeproximity to 'the hand Wheel b23%, and therefore in proximity to the seat-from which the operator may readily control the movement of the planes. and rudder.

The opposite ends ofthe frontvedges 'of the planes 2,3-, 4, and 5, are connected .by

stay Wires ,-82 to theupright .supporting A bars -6-, preferably near the couplings so as to hold the ends of the planes against relative vertical movement under air pressure 1n flight, it being understood that all of the stay wires may be provided with the'usual .turn-buckles wherebyl they may be tightened when necessary.'

The notor ,12* is connected by suitable power transmitting mechanism, as a sprocket chain -33-- to a propeller w34, which, in this instance, is journaledin the cross-bar --8- 'substantially midway between and in front of the intermediate planes --3 andv Jaa- What I claim is: 1. An aeroplane comprising an upr1gnt frame, supporting planes hinged along their frdit V edges to the' upright frame and spaced some distance apart, a. cable and a rotary drum connected thereto and to the rear edges of the planes for rocking said planes simultancously, and connections,- ii'icluding 100 a spring between the rear edge 'of the uppermost plane and upper. part of the frame,

"for normally holding theplanes in a sub-- stantially horizontal position.

2.- An aeroplane comprising .an upright frame, a plurality of supporting planes l'iinged along their front edges to the frame and adapted to rock vertically throughouttheir.enti're lengths, a working .platform secured to the lower end of the frame some dlstance below the lower plane, a motor and a seat, both mounted on the platform,

a ['nopeller journaled on the frame' in front of theA planes, and operatively connected to the motor, means connecttal to the rearedges 'of the planes for rocking them downwardly simultai-leously, and additional in cans for restoring the planes to their normal posi itions, a vertieal rudder, and at the rear of the planes, and means for operating thcrudder.

ln witness whereof I have hereunto set my band on this 7th day of July, 1,910.

. lllllt'l-.lt AljllXANDhllt. Witnesses:

, ll.' E. (hr/isn, {Picasis lil rra-,Is IAn its. 

